It is 7,500 miles from here to Ethiopia. In this land once ruled by kings I search for two special children with eyes like mine. Join me as I take this long walk down the path of international adoption. There are sure to be twist and turns, some hills and some valleys, some laughter and some tears before I reach the destination.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

To Know Me is to Love Me -- Maybe

There is a best selling book called Strengths Finder that comes with a psychometric assessment. It helps people identify their top five strengths. In the work that I do, I am often the one prescribing assessments for client groups but in this case I actually took it and these are my strengths:

#1 - I am STRATEGIC defined as having a distinct way of thinking and a special perspective on the world. I am guided by patterns and continually play out alternate scenarios until I find the best solutions.

#2 - I am a LEARNER drawn to the process of learning. I am a veracious reader and always looking for ways to gain and share new knowledge. It says that this skill enables me to thrive in dynamic environments where asked to take on projects and I am expected to learn a lot about a new subject in a short amount of time.

#3 - I possess the skill of IDEATION that means I am delighted when I discover hidden things beneath the complex surface. I look for elegantly simple concepts to explain why things are the way that they are. I get a jolt of energy from new ideas and some label me creative, original, conceptual, or even smart.

#4 - I am strong in the skill of CONNECTEDNESS and believe that all things happen for a reason and that we are all a part of something larger. The writer says that I gain confidence from knowing that we are not isolated from one another. ** The book actually says that I am a bridge builder for people of different cultures. My faith is strong and it sustains me and my circle of friends in the face of life's mysteries.

#5 - I possess some sort of COMMAND orientation that allows me to comfortably take charge and lead. It says that I am not frightened by confrontation because I know that it is the first step to growth and resolution of any situation. The writer says that these command types feel compelled to present the facts or the truth, no matter how unpleasant it may be. He says that people like me need for things to be clear-eyed and honest and that I may often push people to take risk. He writes that some people will be intimidated by my strength, others will think that I am too opinionated while most people are drawn to me because of my strong presence.

I love assessments like this. I try to get out of the habit of analyzing people, but it is hard when you are in a position to lend support and encouragement, but I am not trained for it, just my inner voice connecting me to people and situations.

I love this tool, I have to even venture to say those in this IA process need every single last skill/gift you listed. We all have to be life long learners, have ideas of how this crazy process works sometimes, a connection for sure, at some point demand and command and always have plan ABCDEF and maybe even G....LOL This just shows Valerie w/all your gifts GOD knew what he was doing when he set you out on this journey!!!!